Don’t tell Angela Egwu she can’t do something–that will only fuel her determination to do it.

Egwu came to the University of West Georgia to study at the Tanner Health System School of Nursing. She also wanted to compete with the UWG women’s track and field team. But she was told she couldn’t succeed as a student athlete and be in a nursing program.

She’s here to show everyone today that she did just that–she obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2016, maintaining an overall grade point average of more than 3.5, all while being an athlete with track and field.

Egwu’s athletic successes included competing in heptathlon and sprint events and representation on the 2016 Track and Field Conference Championship team. She also received the Strength of the Wolf award at the 2016 WESTPY Awards.

Egwu attributes much of her amazing undergraduate athletic experience to the mentorship of her former coach, Tony Hawkins, and the incredible support from her teammates.

“Coach Tony was an amazing mentor,” Egwu began. “He always helped me prioritize what was most important, reminding me that I was a student first and an athlete last. He would check on me regularly and was so understanding of my schedule.”

Egwu recently decided to invest in her alma mater and her previous athletic program by providing scholarship support to the women’s track and field program. In addition to her commitment to an endowed scholarship, she also wanted to show her appreciation of Hawkins by providing direct annual support for the team’s related travel needs by sponsoring travel meals for the team while they’re on the road for meets.

In doing so, Egwu hopes to inspire future track and field athletes to follow their dreams of achieving excellence on the field and in the classroom.

“I honestly cannot imagine where I would be had I not joined the track team,” Egwu said. “I made lifelong friends and learned lessons that still apply to my everyday life. The opportunities, the friendships and the experiences, it was like no other.”

Egwu currently works at Grady Memorial Hospital in the emergency room. On her off days, she’s always looking for the next obstacle race in which to compete.

“I still have a thirst for competition,” Egwu added.

The scholarship will support student athletes with a preference of a nursing/pre-nursing or science majors.